Mr Justice Dowdall and Thomas Stukeley were sent by the English Government to Shane O’Neill for the purpose of conferring with him but they met with little success. 

In contempt the proud O’Neill stated that he never made peace with the Queen except at her own seeking and he arrogantly boasted that he would keep from O’Donnell his country (Donegal) and Newry from Bagenal and Dundrum from Kildare.

Even the English Deputy acknowledged O’Neill’s strong position: he was, he said, ‘the only strong and rich man in Ireland who could bring into the field of battle 1000 horse and 4000 foot soldiers. He could burn and spoil with impunity even to the gates of Dublin’. 

In Newry Nicholas Bagenal despaired completely and in March 1567 he made a bargain with the aforementioned Thomas Stukeley to sell to him all his lands in Ireland, together with the office of Marshall. The price was £3000. 

It is curious - though quite interesting - that Bagenal considered he had it in his gift to ‘sell’ the office of Queen’s Marshall in Ireland.

...

But things were soon to change radically ...

...

In the summer of 1567 Shane, at the head of a large army entered The Pale and laid siege to Dundalk. This time the resistance was powerful, strengthened by a force of citizens of Dublin, led by their Mayor, which came to the relief of Dundalk. 

Shane retreated –

and suddenly his fortunes everywhere were reversed. 

Newry came back into the possession of the English when O’Neill became too weak to hold it any longer. 

By July 1567, repulsed also by O’Donnell in Donegal, Shane was compelled to seek refuge with his inveterate enemies, the McDonnells of Antrim. 

While in their company, he was taken by surprise, seized and quickly put to death. 

To appease their English enemies the McDonnells cut off his head and sent it to the authorities in Dublin.  

Jubilantly they spiked it and put it on display to the citizenry. 

After Shane’s death his territories and those of Orior and Iveagh were declared forfeit to the crown. 

Though Orior was granted to one Chatterton, he was kept out by the O’Hanlons, the old possessors. 

The new O’Neill was Turlough Luineach, cousin and tanist to Shane in his lifetime. 

He inherited a much diminished realm.